Memoirs of a Titaness
by LadyMontyPython
Summary: Before she was the Mother of the gods, before she was Queen of the Titans and lover to the dreaded Titan Lord Kronus, she was Rhea. This is her story, told through her eyes. Nothing is ever as it seems.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Greek Mythology. I do however, own this story. Please be considerate, and don't touch it.

This is my view of the story of Rhea and Kronus. Because honestly, there isn't much in mythology about Rhea. Just that she birthed the Olympians, and saved Zeus from being eaten by her husband. Then she just disappears off the map. But to every story, there is always something more. Lets find out Rhea's side of the story, shall we?

Enjoy!

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Prologue:

The Mountain of Olympus, the home of the gods, this place was the foundation of the world. In the last couple of months, buildings, statues, and temples had been erected until the whole of the city looked grand and beautiful, lit up with the light of the heavens. The stars and sun smiled down upon it, for there was nothing as splendid.

But there was another mountain, slowly fading from memory. It had been dark for some time, and now no more fires burned there. It was empty, deserted, and haunting, very unlike its predecessor. Once, it was the center and foundation of the world. Now, it served as a hollow holder of memories. Shadows of laughter and tears, of the fallen powers.

Mount Othrys was once the home of the mighty Titans, the sons and daughters of Gaia and Uranus. But that had been years ago, and now centuries after the war where they had fallen to their younger relatives, the Olympians, it was deserted and falling slowly into decay.

The Olympians had ransacked the palaces of the Titans accordingly, and had henceforth left it alone. No one had touched it since, nor walked among its halls. That is, until now.

Indeed, a woman wearing a heavy green cloaked walked quietly through the palace at the top of the mountain, the dark palace of Kronus. Her face was absorbed in shadow, but one could see the slightest traces of auburn curls that had freed themselves from the hood. She was a small, petite thing and even though one could not see much from the cloak she wore, it was obvious that through the grace and way she held herself even in such depressing surroundings, that she had nobility in her blood.

From here, she could see the full spread of the mountain and the valley below. Undaunted by the eerie quiet of the place where the king of the Titans and earth once resided, the woman continued on, climbing stairs higher and higher. She passed an old dining and ballroom. On another floor was room after empty bedroom. She hesitated at a grand door, which on it was a worn-out carving of the heavens. But she passed on after a lengthy pause. Until finally she was at the very peek of the palace, at the very top.

At the highest point, there was but one door. Unlike the rest of the palace, which was lofty and showed signs of former glory, the door was plain and wooden. Yet the key hole was illuminated in a natural light. And as the woman approached, she could hear the sound of birds twittering happily to one another. It was as if the door was a gateway to another world, one away from the dark and gloom that suppressed the rest of the mountain.

Calmly, the woman reached into her cloak and pulled out a rusted, ancient key. Without any hesitation, she entered it into the lock with practiced precision, and the tumblers clicked open accordingly. And the ancient door opened with a heavy groan.

Inside was a paradise. Sun streamed in from the open roof, dancing off of a small pond and caused it to sparkle like diamonds. A large tree hung over the pond, giving a small amount of shade for those that wish to sit on the stone bench it covered. The floor was covered with grass and patches of flowers that gave off all colors. Small birds of many kinds nested in the tree, or danced about on the forest floor.

The woman gave pause at the entrance, and took in all of this. Before finally, she reached up and unclasped her cloak, letting it fall to the grass around her feet. She was small indeed, and looked younger than her eyes betrayed. Her brown eyes, though gentle and kind, held a wisdom awarded to only the most ancient kind. And though her appearance seemed young, she was very beautiful and well-endowed. The clothing she wore, a simple green chinton dress with a small silver clasp, and a matching green scarf which covered her head, suggested that she was not aware of her beauty as others were. And even with the scarf, her curls continued to break free and dance about her face.

Quietly, and with a solemn expression on her soft features, the woman walked to the stone bench and sat. For a moment, it looked as if she too had turned to stone, simply staring out at the small pond at her feet. Though the area was happy and merry, bustling with activity. The woman kept that sad look upon her face, as if her thoughts were still with the gloomy rooms just below her feet.

Finally, after some moments, she looked toward the door. Her face broke out with a gentle smile, "How long are you going to continue watching me, my daughter?"

Another woman appeared almost immediately after the words were said, sliding out of her hiding spot behind the wooden door. The daughter held the natural beauty as her mother, but at the same time seemed very different. Instead of simple earthly colors, she wore a white flowing chinton, lined with gold. Her eyes radiated with power and authority, and she wore a diadem, which glowed with the same power that her eyes showed.

But when she gazed upon her mother's form Hera, Queen of the gods, displayed softness in her eyes that she showed few. "….Mother…"

Rhea, for that was the name of the woman, patted the seat next to her. Hera took the offered seat, and as her mother continued to gaze out at the pond, Hera continued to stare at her mother as if she was seeing her for the first time.

"I did not know such a place was here." The Queen of Olympus said after a lengthy pause. "It is beautiful."

Rhea nodded in response, "…. It was a wedding gift to me…. From your father."

Her daughter gave her a shocked look, giving the garden another glance, now that she knew of its origin. "Father gave you this place?" There was some disbelief in the pale-armed goddesses tone, and it was understandable. The Time Lord Kronus was not well known for being sentimental.

The Titaness chuckled slightly, "I understand your confusion. Your father was many things, and many of those things were terrible. But there were times when…." Rhea trailed off, looking sad.

"When what?" Hera pressed gently, scooting closer to her mother with curiosity obvious on her noble face. "Mother, it has been near two centuries since the fall of the Titans, and yet you have never revealed anything about your past with them. Please," She reached and took her mother's hand into her own, "Tell me. Why did you choose to marry father? Why did you let him swallow us when we were children?"

Rhea did not say anything for a moment, and in that moment Hera was sure she would not get any answers. But suddenly, the elder spoke. And Hera listened to the tale, respectfully not speaking. For the first time ever, the ex-Queen of the Titans was telling her story:

"All my life, I have never had much of a choice in anything. Indeed, from the moment I was born, my mother Gaea decided that I would become a disciple of hers. A maiden of nature, and she had no intention of letting me stay on Mount Othrys and be married off to one of my brothers. Therefore, I grew up away from this Mountain and my siblings, in one of my mother's sacred fields. Even once my father was overthrown by Kronus, and Kronus became king, I had no idea that such an event took place, nor did I remember having much care in the matter. And though many of my siblings would visit me, I never met the new King of the Titans. Until one day…."

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Reviews are appreciated. The First Chapter shall be up soon, and in Rhea's point of view.


	2. Chapter 1: Two Threads Intertwine

So First Chapter! Its a bit of a filler chapter, but after this things will go a lot smoother. Hope you guys enjoy and thanks for reading!

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Chapter One: Two Threads Intertwine

The sacred valley of the earth mother Gaea existed at the edge of the world, where the sky met the earth. It was there were Uranus sired his many children, Cyclopes, giants, and Titans all included. It existed as a haven for the personifications of nature, and a home for Gaea herself. When she had given birth to each of her children, she would send them off almost immediately to their siblings to be raised. The Titans with the Titans on Mount Othrys, and so on. However, there was one Titan born to Uranus and Gaea that did not go to live on Mount Othrys, but instead stayed with her mother.

When Gaea gave birth to Rhea, she saw that the child was not like the rest of her siblings. She was a gentle and kind babe, while her other siblings had came into the world fierce and wailing, Rhea had cooed and giggled. And Gaea loved the beautiful babe she held in her arms.

Theia, who was then Queen of the Titans (there was never a Queen or King in power for too long, as the Titans were ruthless and power hungry as a whole), reached out to take the babe from her mother, as she did every time a new Titan was born, and return with the new born to the Mountain. But Gaea cradled the child possessively to her chest, in a way that startled even the unmoving Theia, eldest daughter of Gaea and Uranus.

"Mother, is the child not one of us?" Confused, she gazed upon her sister, seeing not only one eye, nor an extra hand that would signify Rhea as a cyclopes or a hundred-handed one. "She should come with me, and be raised by her siblings."

But the mighty earth glared at Theia with such intensity that it caused even the shining Queen to flinch, and back away carefully. After Gaea was sure that Theia had gathered the unspoken message, she went back to cradling the child in her arms, and gazing down upon it with love and adoration.

"This one will be named Rhea, and she shall stay with me." She smiled at little Rhea, then nodded firmly to Theia, "That is all, daughter. Thank you for your help."

And with that dismissal, the Titaness bowed, then hurried back to her siblings, to give tidings of the birth of Rhea. Many rumors surrounded her birth; that she was not a daughter of Uranus at all, but had been singularly born from Gaea's loins. That she was the daughter of some other ancient personification of nature. However, Gaea jealously guarded her pure daughter from her siblings, and except for small glances of a babe or a small Titanling, her siblings were left to see her only as a mystery that existed in their mother's house.

It had been a long time since the sky last laid with the earth. But Rhea remembered a time when this was so. Though she lived in the valley all her young immortal life, she had only caught glimpses of her lusty sire. His hair as black as the night sky, and his eyes blue as the day. He expressed no interest in his daughter, but when straight for the bedroom. And her mother would always send her away from their small home to play with nymphs and tree spirits in the fields. When youthful curiosity struck her, and she asked why it was so, her mother explained that her father was not one to enjoy visits from his children, and left it at that. And so, Rhea was contented as a child to go and play with her friends, while her parents had the house to themselves.

She was much more excited when she was young, and one of her siblings would visit. They were the only visitors that she was allowed to stay in the house for, though her mother would not let her be apart of the actual conversations. She remembered hiding behind a large white pillar that made up the entrance to the living area, spying on her mother and whatever sibling or siblings had chosen to visit. And through this indirect spying, she learned more about her siblings than she ever had before. She had learned about the scandals of Mount Othrys and, more importantly, about the mountain itself.

Rhea had slowly but surely grown up in this manner. Once her mother, Gaea, saw that her disciple was no longer a child, she started to instruct her daughter in the ways of nature. Rhea spent much of her time in the fields with Gaea, and her mother gazed upon her gentler daughter, and tried to discern what kind of gifts she held.

Rhea knew her mother to be pregnant many times, but never did she keep the babe with her in the valley for too long, nor was Rhea ever allowed inside the birthing room. Instead, Theia, the eldest daughter, would always come when summoned, and assist.

"Such a sight is not for a maiden's eyes, sister." Explained Theia impatiently when the curious Rhea asked, before ordering the younger sister to make herself useful, and to go get more towels.

But one memory would always stay with Rhea, though others mingled and seemed unimportant. It was on that day that Rhea sat in her small room in her mother's home, and was suddenly interrupted by her mother. The tall, big-boned mother earth came in, wringing her hands in a nervous fashion. Rhea gazed up at her mother in concern, never having known her to act this way before.

"Mother, what troubles you?" asked the innocent Titan as she set the scroll she was reading aside.

Gaea gazed at her daughter in sudden surprise, as if she had not really been paying attention when she entered the room. Both mother and daughter looked extremely alike, with brown eyes, hair, and the simple earth-colors they wore. It was as if Gaea had tried so desperately to make Rhea into a clone of herself. Though even Gaea couldn't control the constant kindness in Rhea's eyes, or the fact that she was so much smaller than her siblings.

"Never you mind," She explained in an almost ruff way, that reminded one of a boulder that would not be moved. Rhea knew she would gather no answers from her mother, and so bowed her head in meek response. But Gaea was not done.

"Your father will be here soon." Grabbing a leather bag, she tossed it onto her daughter's lap. "Go, gather some herbs for me."

Rhea nodded, picking up the bag and slowly making her way to the entrance of her room. Pausing, she turned to look at her upset mother, "Mother, what herbs would you like me to gather for you?" The question came with a quiet voice, knowing her mother was rather upset.

"Oh Fates… I don't know Rhea! Nor do I care, just GO!" Snapped Gaea with all the urgency of a wounded panther that wanted to be left alone.

Rhea had never heard her mother talk to her in such a way. The Mother, though strong and stubborn, was always patient and always talked to Rhea in a kind voice. This sudden change in her mother's personality understandably scared her, and she turned on her heel and ran. As she exited the house, she turned slightly to see if her mother had followed her, and therefore was not looking to see where she was going.

WHAM!

Rhea let out a startled gasp as she crashed into someone, hard. She would have fallen backwards as well, if hands had not grabbed her forearms to steady her. Blushing furiously, Rhea looked up at the stranger to apologize, but the words were caught in her throat.

Time stood still at that moment as she first laid eyes upon at its maker. She could tell immediately that this was another one of her brothers, though she had never met or seen him before. He was a young man, though admittedly handsome. His light brown hair glowed in the sunlight, making it look almost blond. And like her other brothers that she had glimpsed before, this one was well built, and the black flowing robes he wore left little to the imagination.

But what struck her dumb were his eyes. They were the same blue as Uranus', but much more intense and calculating. But even so, she could see a hint of coldness, and she most certainly noticed when those eyes went from her face, to the top of her dress.

She was shocked, to be sure. Though she never had long conversations with her brothers, they had always been respectful and cordial. This one, however, did not even try and hide the fact that he was staring down her dress!

Clearing her throat pointedly, she was relived to see that his eyes returned to her face. Though by the smirk that appeared there, she was sure he was not embarrassed in the slightest.

"I am sorry for bumping into you, brother." She said pointedly, trying to pull away from him, and frowning when his hands tightened on her arms. Rhea returned her gaze back to the male, only to find that he the smirk had disappeared into a look of confusion.

"Hm, I did not know that I had yet another sister." One of his hands moved up to stroke her cheek, "Nor one as lovely as you, my dear."

Her cheek burned at the spot where he touched, but she gathered her wits and pushed his hand away from her face as gently as she could. Still, her mysterious brother's face turned into a scowl. Rhea could already tell he wasn't used to being turned down. He opened his mouth to say something, but was inturupted by their mother's voice:

"Kronus! Have you arrived? Be quick son and enter!"

"I-I must leave." She explained hurriedly, taking advantage of his attention shift to break away from his grasp and back away from him. "It was nice meeting you… Kronus." She then started to run for the far fields, trying to get away from the house and this new brother as possible.

And though she heard him cry for her to stop, she did not. There was something about this Kronus that made one part of her run. The other part wanted to turn back, and have that hand run down her cheek once more.

She was in the fields, sitting upon the grass, and catching her breath when the sky fell.

The cry of pain echoed throughout the valley, causing Rhea to jump nearly out of her skin. The earth underneath her quaked, the stars fell from the cosmos, and all those on the earthen plane could do was point and stare at such a horrifying sight. Though the simple tree spirits had no idea what could have happened, Rhea knew that something had happened to her father, Uranus. And it had happened with her mother…

Fear for her mother's safety fueled her on, causing her to run as fast as she could back to her home. As she approached, she noted that a large group of beings were standing at the entrance. Rhea ducked behind a tree, and peeked out, to see a strange sight indeed.

The beings were all Titans, every one of them. Some Rhea recognized as siblings who had visited her Mother's house before: Theia and her mate Hyperion, once rulers of Mount Othrys. Though she could see no more crown upon their heads. Oceanus stood, his arm snaked around Tethys', who he was courting. Coeus, Pheobe, Themis, and Mnemosyne stood together, whispering things in each other's ears. Crius and Iapetus patted each other on the back, as if they had been victorious in some sort of battle or game.

There were other Titans whom Rhea had never seen before, but had heard of. The children of Theia and Hyperion: Eos, Helios, and Selene, stood apart from their parents. They alone did not seem at all pleased, though their parents, aunts, and uncles all seemed to have delight upon their faces. She saw the sons of Iapetus, four nasty boys named Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius, all grinning along side their father.

Suddenly, her mother appeared before them all, her gaze mighty and strong, yet she too looked joyous. Rhea felt a surge of relief, seeing her mother save. But that relief disappeared when Kronus appeared alongside his mother. In his hands he held a scythe, stained with ichor. He knelt and presented the scythe to Gaea, who took it and held it up triumphantly.

"The sky has fallen!" She cried, the cheers of those who attended echoed throughout the valley, and caused Rhea's blood to go cold. She handed back the scythe to the kneeling Kronus, and brought forth a crown that Rhea had seen many times on the head of Hyperion. Indeed, she saw the old King straighten up visibly when he saw his old headpiece, but said nothing.

"May this be done, and all shall know! I crown you, Kronus, King of the Titans and of the seas, the earth, the skies, and all that pertains!" Gaea cried, setting the crown on her son's head and stepping aside. Kronus rose, and all his siblings, nieces, and nephews bowed.

All except Rhea, who remained crouched behind the tree. For a moment, Kronus gazed over at her hiding place, but she ducked her head, hoping that he did not see. When she looked again, he was being lead away by his triumphant siblings. But she could have sworn that he looked back at her for a moment, and winked in her direction.

And at that moment, Rhea was sure everything she knew and loved about her life would change...

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Deep in their cave in the realm of Dis, the Fates weaved together the fabric of life. Each working as one, but three separate beings. One to measure, one to spin, and one to cut the final threads and bring an end to life. Never did they stop in their job, always diligent to attend to life's tapestry.

Until that very day, Lachesis stopped her measuring, looking to the two. "Sisters, attend!" She gestured to two threads, one a bright vivid green, another a dark black. As Clotho and Atropos stopped in their work to gaze upon them, they slowly intertwined, two fates becoming one.

Clotho threw her hands up in the air, crackling madly, "Two threads become one. One fate for two!"

Atropos and Lachesis joined in their sister's eerie mirth. Lachesis held up the end of the black thread to her sister, who lifted her twisted shears.

"And the revenge of Uranus…. Begins." And the black thread was cut from the tapestry, a feeling of completion surrounded the chamber, and the fates returned to work, all previous mirth still hanging from their ancient faces.

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Ah Fates Creepy, Creepy fates! Run Kronus, before Atropos snips you deaaaaad!

*cough* Well reviews are appreciated! Next chapter, Rhea will get to see Mount Othrys for the first time, and bump into that mysterious brother of hers again!


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